Stephen P. Katz: Let’s fix what ails Rhode Island

My wife and I chose to move to Rhode Island from California four-and-a-half years ago. We love our new home state, but we are deeply astonished by the intransigence in our state government. While there...

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Stephen P. Katz
Posted Sep. 13, 2013 @ 12:01 am

My wife and I chose to move to Rhode Island from California four-and-a-half years ago. We love our new home state, but we are deeply astonished by the intransigence in our state government. While there are some well-intentioned people in the state government, it is dysfunctional, lacks focus and is too preoccupied with doing things that are not best for all Rhode Islanders.

Here’s how we can remedy the ills that plague our most beautiful state:

•Be truly business friendly. To do that, we need to be focused on that task.

A first step is to establish a strategic plan for the state. Included in that plan would be regulatory fixes to assure Rhode Island businesses receive a more favorable view when bidding on state jobs. Our neighbors in Connecticut and Massachusetts give preference to their respective in-state companies, and we should do likewise. Let’s put our people back to work.

Another element in the strategic plan has to be a method of attracting out-of-state business to move to Rhode Island and encourage Rhode Island businesses to remain. We can do that by immediately lowering the corporate tax rate to a competitive percentage when compared with our neighbors.

Thirdly, and I realize that this is a major paradigm shift, but we need to seriously look at becoming a right-to-work state. There is nothing more anathema to businesses than having unions forced upon them. Creating an environment where joining a union is not a condition of employment will help companies grow, which translates into hiring more employees, which translates into lowering our state’s unemployment rate. It’s a win-win all the way around.

If we fail to correct our current self-destructive course, Rhode Island will go the way of Detroit.

•Balance the power between the General Assembly and the governor. At present, our governor, who is the chief executive officer for the state, lacks the authority to act like a CEO. Can you imagine a corporation having a CEO with the same de minimis authority as our governor?

Let’s amend our state constitution to grant the governor line-item-veto power. That is a true check and balance.

•Look at ethical behavior. Why is our state legislature afraid to restore the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission over the General Assembly? Transparency is key. Assuring that our legislators and governor — indeed, all elected officials — rise to the highest ethical behavior will go a long way in improving Rhode Island.

As we consider the choices for elected office, we Rhode Islanders should ask each candidate his or her position on the foregoing. Those who agree and promise to make these changes should earn your vote, and our beautiful state will be on the road to recovery.

Stephen P. Katz is a government contracts counselor with the Rhode Island Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and has over 32 years of business leadership experience.